Moccasin Bend Brewing Company

As of ⁵⁄₁ they are no longer open at the Tennessee Ave location. We stopped by, but they were packing up. They said they are not out of business. We found their beer elsewhere and hope they find a new place to continue their craft.

Best of the three visited Chattanooga breweries … If you can only get one beer, get the New South stout … This is hard to find. Make a right at the Thai restaurant and a left when you see the MB sign. You’ll get over the sense you are driving up to a transmission repair shop. … Seems to be dog-​friendly … Corn hole … Nice place to drink outside … Visit ⁹⁄₅ … Serves flights. Mine included beer in a little Coke glass

I happened to stumble across this pretty sweet little place while checking out some breweries in the area for my birthday.
Interesting and super nice crowd in here, as well as a few pups walking around. They were equally nice.
It was pretty packed inside, but we were able to get samples (for those that needed them) or, like me, immediately plunge into a style of my choice rather quickly.
The beer was enjoyable, people were great, and the outside seating and throwing bags (that kind of cornholing) was an added bonus.
The food truck menu looked decent, but I don’t go to breweries to eat… That’s not their fault.

I can’t believe it took me so long to visit Moccasin Bend Brewing Company, but I finally visited a couple weeks ago on a Friday night after work. I met some friends up here, and they were already camped out at one of the picnic tables when I arrived. There are a handful of picnic tables and regular tables outside, or you can sit inside at the bar. (There’s also a foosball table inside.)
If you’ve had their beer around town then you know what to expect, but if you haven’t you can order a flight and try several, if not all, of their beers on tap at the moment.
Parking is kind of weird – there’s supposedly a gravel parking lot down near the entrance to the brewery, but when I got there it was blocked off with chains because the Chattanooga Brew Choo was there. I learned they’re there every Friday night, but apparently there’s an entrance to the parking lot from some other street. A secret entrance, maybe. Anyway, you can also park up above the brewery in a paved lot, which is what I did.
The only food they have there is popcorn, which they’ll make upon request and give you a basket of it for free. It’s kind of out-​of-​the-​way (unless you live in St. Elmo) to be a place to go for a few beers and then continue on for dinner, so if they’d offer more food, even just a small bar menu, I’d give this place five stars.

Great Beer and Great People. I love stopping by this place from time to time. The beer is not expensive, but very good. The eclectic people who hang out there are fun to mingle with. Is there such a thing as a hipster dive? That what this thing is. A hipster dive bar. Parking can be frustrating.

This has been one of my go-​to bars for the past few years and I’ve had the privilege of really watching it grow during that time. The first few times I came here it was like going into your neighbors basement and having a beer with them; dingy, unfinished, overall questionable, but the beer this place produces made everything better. Since then they have really designed this place to be a great meet-​up location with a stage for live music, a finished bar, tours of their production facilities and darts/​foosball entertainment. They also happen to produce some of the best locally made beer in the area (especially the Sweet Potato that comes around for what seems like one week a year that I ALWAYS miss out on).

I liked all the beer sampled. The Uncle Ned Oak Casked beer was awesome. It’s a hole in the wall and that added to the enjoyment. We brought our 19 month old son and he danced on stage while his parents drank. Hard to find is the only negative.

Awesome little brewery! The beers here are very good, if a little trendy (which is why I dropped it from 5-​stars: why do you need to do anything special with the classics?).
The spot is pretty awesome, and on a nice afternoon/​evening, hard to beat. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood with plenty of tree shade. There’s a fussball table inside, and friendly people behind the bar. I’d come back, if ever in the area soon.

Fun space (once you find it). I like someone else’s description of it feeling like drinking beer in your uncle’s basement.
Beers were a bit underwhelming though. They do malty beers better than hoppy ones. All in all, just wish the flavors were cranked up a bit.

If Pasha is my favorite daytime neighborhood haunt, Moccasin Bend is my favorite nighttime venue. It isn’t your normal brewpub.
It’s open Thursdays through Sundays ($ 3 pints on Thursdays!)
It isn’t easy to find. Look for the «MMM Beer» sidewalk sign across from the cemetery and follow the driveway downhill and around to the back.
It’s just beer (no food, but you’re welcome to bring carryout — Pasha, Mojo, Sewasdee, Purple Daisy, Mr. T’s and Blacksmith are all a short walk away). The beer is wonderful, truly a labor of love. Taps rotate. Sometimes there are many selections, sometimes just a few.
The atmosphere is very laid back. You’ll probably see people of all ages, as well as a dog or two. Furnishings are a mishmash of chairs, stools, a sofa, a booth. There’s a dart board, foosball, a TV and a turntable with a wide selection of vinyl. Basically, it feels like the secret basement rec room/​club that I always wanted when I was a kid, plus awesome beer.
The staff are volunteers working for tips. It’s usually just one person running the bar, so it may take a while to get your beer. Just be cool.
This is one of Chattanooga’s most unique estalishments. It may not be for everyone, but it’s perfect for me.

OK I have a soft spot for this place. They market themselves as being weird, but I think a better adjective would be quirky.
The brewery can be a bit of a challenge to find as it is in the basement of a two story warehouse just outside of downtown St. Elmo. You can access their parking lot via the alley next to Sawasdee Thai restaurant. Once you park in the gravel parking lot shaded by old hard woods you access the bar area via a sliding oak door.
Ok this is where it gets quirky. MBBC is run with sweat and ingenuity. The bar was made by the owners and employees as is much of the brewing systems. They have also reclaimed many items that serve as sitting area in the bar. The bar also has a small stage area next to where the brewing occurs. If you are expecting high tech, shiny and new you won’t get it here. If you are expecting mad scientist and old fashioned American ingenuity well it is here.
And, about the building, once inside you will notice the stone walls with masonry and the beautiful oak beams and and oak ceiling (the floor of the first floor). The building was made in the 20’s and once in the basement you feel like you could be almost anywhere. It has a cool historic vibe. I also like to stand outside in the parking lot in the summer and enjoy a pint standing outside under the trees.
So you are probably thinking are you ever going to talk about the beer? Well yes I am. The beers on tap rotate regularly. This is good and bad. I’ve liked some of the beers better than others only to have them disappear for long periods. Some of the beers are really good and to be honest some I haven’t cared for too much. I know that is the mission of the brewer to make many different styles of beer and change them frequently, but I’d be a fan of having a core of beers that are always on tap and then a rotating seasonal. It would add to the consistency of the product and you would always have a go to beer.
Beers I have enjoyed: Nitrogen Chocolate Stout, Juniper Pale Ale, St. Elmo Smart Ass, and the Centennial X5.
If you want something decidedly uncorporate and you want to support an artist go here. If you need flair and no surprises go to Big River Grill. I can guarantee you will never find a place exactly like this one no matter where you go. You will be talking about this place later.
****Update as of 12/​28/​2012****
The past few times I have been to MBBC the quality of the beer has improved quite a bit. I think part of this is because they have been successful enough for the head brewer to work full time in the brewery. They have also been able to purchase some larger professional brewing equipment. It’s enough for me to knock them up a peg. Good work guys. I can only see them getting better. The Belgian currently on tap is stellar. Great Work Mr. Hunt.
****Update as of 04/​20/​2014****
Well there was an unfortunate incident involving code violations and the Fire Marshall which caused MBBC to close temporarily. Fortunately for them they were able to raise 20K through kick starter and plan to reopen with full service when the code items are fixed. For now they have a very small occupancy rating in the bar but you can buy a pint and then stand out on the patio which is a nice spot to have a beer. When the project is completed the bar will be much improved and safer. They will also be able to have live music again. So in the end the closure may have a silver lining. I look forward to the grand reopening.

We bought the groupon for the brewery tour and were excited about helping a small local business and the opportunity to try new beers. When we arrived, there were a few people sitting outside with their samplers and a small bar inside with a few people sitting around. Apparently, this group of no more than 10 people had the employees/​owners so frazzled, they couldn’t be bothered to speak to us. The woman behind the bar spent the next ten minutes chatting away with her friends and playing with her cell phone. She even made eye contact with us and didn’t acknowledge the fact that we were standing there waiting for someone to speak to us. Another employee/​owner came in the back door and walked right past us into the brewery without saying a word.
We’ve never experienced such inhospitality and rudeness. We visit Chattanooga every year from Florida (an 8 hour drive) and we have a couple places that we make a point to visit each time. Moccasin Bend Brewing is not one of them.
Thankfully, we didn’t waste any more money on them than the groupon. Too bad I can’t even tell you how the beer tasted. :/

It was a rainy day in Chattanooga. After taking a rainy ride up to the rainy top of Lookout Mountain before wandering around in the rain at Rock City, we stopped to grab a latte and saw a poster for a band called The Gay Blades playing at a place called Moccasin Bend Brewing Company. Yes, this rainy day required a whistle whetting at a local brewery.
What the hell is this place? We thought we had wandered into a garage. It’s actually the ground floor of an historic building decorated in garage chic. The tasting room is populated by a handful of tables and chairs, a bar and couch. There’s a jukebox, but it’s broken — however the you can pick out a record to throw on the turntable. I couldn’t decide which Steppenwolf EP was most appropriate for the occasion so the bartender, who I later identified as brewer Chris Hunt, turned on a hidden stereo. He had been listening to Chris Isaak. I love Chris Isaak.
You know what else I love? MBBC’s smoked porter. It is the best porter I’ve ever had. They sold us a massive grower of it for something like $ 13. When we got home we compared the size of their growler to that of our local brewery. It was at least 20 percent bigger.
While my boyfriend chatted up a trio of brewers (also located in the ground floor of the old building is a brew-​on-​premises joint where you can use their equipment to brew your own beer — brilliant!) in the brewing room, I tipsily conversed with Chris and another gentleman who had shown up with his giant dog, who sweetly laid at his feet while he enjoyed the a glass of the popular (but hoppy as hell) Hop Soup. (I have not reached the level of beer aficianado-​ness that allows me to appreciate hoppy brews). I was tipsy because for $ 6 I got five generous samples of MBBC brew… I think. Foggy on the price. It was a steal is all I can remember. Though the Smoky Mountain Porter was where it was at for me, I recall digging the Welterweight, a seasonal ale.
As soon as we left we made plans to come back to Chattanooga. Hopefully it rains.